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Nothing spoils an outdoor barbecue more than burning the house down. Here are 6 tips to stay safe when grilling this summer. Don’t think you’re at risk? Over the last five years, fire departments have responded to an average of 8,200 house fires per year involving grills, hibachis, and barbecues. Most of these fires took place during June and July, the peak grilling months.
Is your pooch pawing your petunias? Here’s how to keep your dog out of your garden and away from your precious plants. We want our dogs to eat well, but we don’t want them snacking on our heirloom vegetables and prized perennials. Nor do we want them digging up the daffodils. How can you keep dogs from wrecking your garden?
Even the best vegetable gardeners can forget basics and make rookie mistakes. Here are 7 no-nos to avoid. Even if your vegetable garden is the envy of neighbors, it’s still easy to make rookie mistakes that waste precious resources and growing time. Avis Richards, whose Ground Up Campaign teaches New York City school kids how to grow their own food, reveals the rookie mistakes that all gardeners should avoid.
Don’t take your old garden friends — perennial flowers — for granted. A little routine love keeps these stunners growing for blooming’ ever. ROI, anyone? You don’t need a calendar if you grow perennial flowers, which return each year like clockwork. But home owners often take these Old Faithfuls for granted. We don’t divide, deadhead, or cut back like we should. Before we know it, our lush hydrangeas are barren, and our salvia has run amuck. Luckily, perennial flowers are a forgiving bunch; and with a little love, will keep on blooming — a nice ROI. Here’s how to care for your perennials and protect your landscape year after year.
Get your kids outside and spark their creativity with fun, simple home improvement projects. Plus, you’ll boost your curb appeal. If you’re looking for ways to unplug your children and get them some fresh air, try these engaging outdoor projects. You’ll introduce them to a little pride of home ownership while adding some finishing touches that’ll ramp up your home’s curb appeal. When making stuff with kids, remember the Keep-It rules: Keep it safe. Use gloves and safety glasses when necessary. Keep it simple. They’ll come away with a sense of accomplishment if it’s a project they can handle easily. Keep it under an hour. Kids’ attention spans are short.
Ramp up your curb appeal with cool landscaping projects you can easily pull off in a weekend. Project #1: Install Rigid Flower Bed Edging The setup: A crisp edge where the lawn meets the flower beds looks great and eases mowing. Opt for rigid edging — the flexible plastic stuff looks amateurish from day one. Use a charged garden hose to lay out a smooth curve. Tip: A “charged” garden hose full of water makes for a smoother, kink-free curve; charge up by turning on the spigot but leaving the sprayer off. With the hose as your guide, use a lawn edger or spade to cut away excess sod and make an incision for the edging. Tap in the edging with a rubber mallet and add the stakes. Trim the edging with a hacksaw, using a speed square to mark for cuts.
When a neighbor’s tree falls over your property line, yell TIMBER, then call your insurance company. Home owners policies cover tree damage caused by perils like wind and winter storms. Most policies cover hauling away tree debris if the mess is associated with house damage; some will cover cleanup even if no structures were harmed.
With some credit report errors not getting fixed by either the credit reporting bureau or credit card companies, at least you have the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in your corner. When you find an error in your credit report and send the credit bureau proof that your creditor was wrong when it said you paid late, didn’t pay at all, or, worse yet, are deceased, you expect the bureau and your creditor to do the right thing. Like acknowledge the error and correct your credit report to show you paid on time, paid off your debts, or are still alive. And yet, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently had to tell the credit bureaus (and the companies that report your payment record to the bureaus) to pay attention to your complaints and take more care investigating your disputes. It’s like the Department of Transportation having to order school bus drivers to use the brakes to stop their buses.
The advertisement from the Builders Association was in response to local storm damage and unscrupulous companies preying on innocent victims seeking repairs to their homes. Seems there are companies that take advantage of homeowners by over promising to get the job, then requiring a deposit to order materials and once received, leaving never to be seen again. Or in some cases, they do a partial repair that is far less than the work quoted.
When it comes time to finalize your floor plans and add those custom features that will make your home, uniquely yours, don’t forget the Kitchen. The Yorktowne 2014 catalog is full of step saving and space saving features you are welcome to add to your custom designed kitchen. This is one is my favorites. Who doesn’t want an extra 32” of counter space when unloading the dishwasher, or for those complicated recipes that require one more bowl, and one more ingredient?
